Back in our Small Town

We spent the last 5 years in Oregon.  We loved living close to family and enjoyed having a swimming pool a few minutes away.  All of our kids learned to swim and G.J. was on the swim team.  We served in a church that became like family to us.  Chris loved his elementary school and I loved working in an adoption agency.  But we had felt our time closing there as Chris prepared to complete graduate school (again!) and we started a 2-state job search.  Chris graduated with his doctorate in May and also holds a principal certification so the options were wide open and sometimes overwhelming.  We knew we would be moving, but were honestly open to anywhere we could afford to raise our kids.

Mt. Baker looms over our icy creek - pic taken from our yard.

Last June God surprised us with the offer to move back to our old community.  In awe, we began preparing to move back to the small town in Washington where we spent the first 9 years of our marriage.  We were able to spend the summer introducing our kids to this beautiful area that we love above all others.  We bought a house in September that is different and better than any we could have imagined.  It is on a large saltwater creek and we have enjoyed learning about salmon runs and boats and watching the wildlife. This morning on the way to pre-school J.T. reminded me that he would be living with us on the creek forever!  It is a peaceful place and we feel like we are on vacation all the time.  Chris is just about done building three more bedrooms upstairs so there is room for everyone.  We are back in our small town and it is sometimes still hard for me to believe that God would grant the deepest desire of my heart, when I have always been prepared to go anywhere.

Our backyard tree.

A regular visitor.

Beautiful winter.

So here we are, spending time with old friends and back in a church that we helped plant many years ago.  We are just over an hour away from my family again so they are a regular part of our lives.  It is a strange experience to be back because much is the same and yet so much is different.  WE are different, and there are more of us now.  I am glad for the experiences, growth and healing we found in Oregon.  And I am so incredibly thankful to be back in our small town.  I look forward to experiencing all the reasons why God brought us back.

What a view!